Staying with my cousin , i have tough time to bargain the hard disk I have, eventually ending up watching the movie i m talking here and truest sense I can rate this movie as one of my best watch ever. This is a movie that can challenge every entry in every film meet and yeah all time.
Set in the 1950's, Vanaprastham divulges certain experiences of a Kathakali artiste who faces an identity crisis in mid-life. The portrayal of a man’s inside world has been clearly depicted. Shaji uses the fascinating world of Kathakali, the classical art form of Kerala to present the theme.
The actor I respect Mr.Lal portrays the character who his life has attained the vanaprastha the age of retirement. The character has a soulful depiction of aspiration , self esteem , love to the art , ethical eroticism and most of all man living inside.
In Indian Philosophy, 'Vanaprastham' is the third of the four ashramas or stages in a man's life - Brahmacharya or bachelorhood, Grihastha or married life, Vanaprastha or retirement to the forest and Sanyasa or renunciation of all wordly interests.
Vanaprastham is an Indo-French collaboration, produced by Pierre Assouline and actor Mohanlal's Pranavam Arts. Cinematography is by Renato Berta and Santhosh Sivan and dialogue by Raghunath Paleri. Zakir Hussain, the renowned tabla artiste has composed the music and Beuno Thariel of France, the sound effects.
I certainly can bet on the purity of film making. This is a movie I would say as what should be called a movie that can challenge the parallel movie makers . It is a traditional Indian depiction which is land of Natya Shastras. With Cinema being new generation product I would say that this is what one should say a Cinema and it is what a dictionary for film making. It is clearly an Indian movie in the traditional sense of the word. It has the depth, the pace, and combines traditional Indian culture with Kathakali and deep human drama. Kathakali is a type of dance/stage drama, which comes from the Southern state of Kerala, and is expressed through the subtle performance of its actors, as a way to articulate emotions, by small movements of the face and body. It is based on centuries old Sanskrit plays, which incorporate sacred texts like the Mahabharata. The film is centered on a Master of Kathakali, Kunhikuttan, who as a fatherless child of a poor servant girl, began to learn the art as a way of feeding his family. We later understand, that one of the reasons for Kunhikuttan’ s constant emotional suffering, and thus, the mastering of his art, is the lack of a father figure. His art is so powerful, that a young woman falls in love with one of the characters he portrays, and bears his child. But reality is not a play, and she refuses Kunhikuttan to see his son, whom she considers is the son of the actual character Kunhikuttan portrays. The film is before anything else, a deep meditation on fiction and reality, and illustrates the need for certain classes to combine the two. In fact, as much as the art of Kathakali is subtle, the reality is crude and brutal. In actuality, Kunhikuttan’ s unknown father is the lord of the domain in which he lives; his mother's master. The young woman who bears Kunhikuttan’ s child, is a princess living in delusion, impassioned by mythological characters. All are heavy subjects to deal with, which will give everyone who sees this film, a lot to think about. The talent of the director comes across in his subtle bringing to light of all of these intricate emotions. Of course for a Western audience most likely ignorant of the subtleties of Kathakali and unaccustomed to the Indian Cinema, the director's subtlety will be of no help. A fascinating reflection on art and reality. "Vanaprastham" is a rhyme with elusiveness.
